Tales Of The Heart (undergoing editing)

A FRIEND'S BETRAYAL

Jake's eyes fluttered open as consciousness slowly returned. He groaned in pain as he tried to sit up, his hand instinctively going to his forehead where a large bump was forming. He winced as he touched the tender spot, but his bleary gaze gradually focused on me, sitting next to him. He asked faintly, "Hey man, why are you sitting like that? Are you meditating or some shit?"

"No, I'm not meditating, you moron. I'm thinking-thinking how the hell did Amber's dad clicked that picture and how come I didn't spot him? There must be something I'm overlooking."

Jake groaned as he rubbed his head, his voice groggy as he slowly sat up. . "Ugh, my head...it doesn't hurt much unless I touch it, but it's still spinning a bit. Am I going to die?"

"I already checked you out and it's nothing serious. Her dad just knocked you down with his gun. You're such a loser."
I glanced over at Jake. "Sasha told me everything that happened. She said you tried to protect them when Amber's dad marched into the house. I have to say, I'm grateful for that."

Jake grunted, shifting his position against the wall. "You don't have to mention it," he muttered. "And, where is Sasha? I can't see her now."

"Yeah, she's upstairs studying," I replied. "It's best to leave her be for now. She's still reeling from what happened. Let her have some time to process it before talking to her again."

Jake's expression suddenly grew serious. He looked over at me and said, "When he knocked me down, I heard him say something to tell you. He said, 'tell Kevin to never even look at my daughter again or I'll gouge out his pretty eyes'. And he said to remember the name... Richard Knightley."

Jake turned his attention to me and said, "Hey, man, are you even listening? Say something."

I raised a hand in a dismissive gesture and said, "Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Who cares about all that? I'm thinking. Don't speak for the next couple of minutes."

I let out a breath as I closed my eyes and delved into my thoughts. After a few moments, my eyes snapped open, a look of realization on my face. I exclaimed, "Yes, fuck yes! I understand now!"

Jake looked at me, puzzled by his declaration. "What did you understand? Tell me," he urged, curious to know what I had figured out.

I handed out the picture of me and Amber kissing to him. "Look at this picture", I said to Jake. "It's taken from inside the coffee shop. There must be someone who was spying us. But the picture is a bit blurry so while taking the pic she must have been nervous or is someone not professional in this field." 

Jake squinted at the picture, trying to discern the hints. He then turned to me and asked, "How do you know it was a girl who took this picture?"

I pointed out to Jake, "Can't you see? Look closely. There's a tiny heart-shaped watermark down in the bottom left. That means this pic was clicked by a girl, but she forgot to turn off the watermark. Rookie mistake."

Jake's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Wow, have you been watching Sherlock Holmes lately?" he teased jokingly. "Are there any other clues?"

"Maybe there's more, but I don't have much time to spare on it," I stood up and said. "C'mon, let's go."

"Where are we going?" he inquired.

I declared, "To the coffee shop." Jake followed suit, standing up with a slight wince as he felt a dull pain in his head. We both made our way out, heading towards there. As we entered the coffee shop, the owner, Ms. Harper, who was familiar with me, immediately spotted me. With a smile, she scolded, "You shouldn't drink too much coffee, boy! It's your second time stepping in here today."